Caring for our Children and Families: Profiling the Setup of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children and Family Centres

Published August 2012

Overview

Enthusiam, optimism and energy abound with the development and opening of 38 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children and Family Centres (Centres) across Australia by June 2014. With four Centres already open and many more to open in the coming months, this is a time of significant anticipation and hope for increasing access to quality, culturally competent, community-based, integrated support services for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and families. SNAICC has prepared this resource to support information sharing on the set up of all of the Centres. SNAICC hopes that this resource will also help to increase awareness of the Centres, their objectives, the set up process and the support that these and other services require to provide quality, accessible and sustainable services to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and families.

In 2008, the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) agreed to a series of reforms to close the gap in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander disadvantage. Early Childhood is one of seven interrelated ‘Building Blocks’ developed to support these reforms, recognising the critical importance of early childhood for a child’s development outcomes. In 2009, COAG entered into the National Partnership Agreement on Indigenous Early Childhood Development (IECDNP) to contribute to the agreed outcomes for early childhood. This included “ready access for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families to suitable and culturally inclusive early childhood and family support services.”

Integration of early childhood services through Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children and Family Centres is the first of three elements contained in the IECDNP and is the major initiative created through this National Partnership Agreement. The Centres are also a primary action in support of Outcome 5 of the National Framework for the Protection of Australia’s Children 2009 – 2020. The Government has contributed $292.62 million4 to establish “a minimum of 35 Children and Family Centres in urban, regional and remote areas with high Indigenous populations and high disadvantage” by June 2014. Thirty-eight Children and Family Centres in total have been planned, with 23 Centres in regional or remote areas and 15 Centres in urban areas.

The IECDNP identifies the following key elements of the Children and Family Centres:

(a) Centres provide services to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families;
(b) Centres provide an integrated delivery of services, including antenatal services, child and maternal health services, parenting and family support services, and early learning and child care, as the best delivery platform to ensure families actually receive the support they need;
(c) Centres are responsive to community needs; and
(d) Community engagement with the Children and Family Centres is integral to their successful implementation.

State and territory Governments are responsible for establishing the Centres, which is now well underway. Each state and territory has adopted its own processes and structures for the set up of the Centres, responding to local community contexts. In Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland, Western Australia and the Northern Territory the implementing government departments have chosen to open tenders for the appointment of service providers to develop and operate the Children and Family Centres at each site. Alternatively, in the Australian Capital Territory, South Australia and Tasmania, the implementing government departments will retain responsibility for the management of each Centre.

It is an exciting time with many Centres finalising preparations and opening their doors. Four Centres are now operating services from purpose built facilities. These Centres are located in: Whittlesea, Victoria; Halls Creek, Western Australia; West Belconnen, ACT; Mareeba, Queensland; and Bridgewater, Tasmania. A number of other Centres will also be opening very soon, including in: Doomadgee, Queensland; Mornington Island, Queensland; and Fitzroy Crossing, Western Australia. A number of Centres are also currently operating from temporary premises.

This resource provides an update on the development of the Centres to date and some key strategies used to support their effective establishment. It covers thirty three of the thirty eight Centres9 and details significant aspects in the set up phase, including: Centre construction; management structure; service provision; and employment and workforce development. Contact details for each Centre are included to facilitate further information sharing.

The resource aims to promote information sharing for all of the Centres and learning from experiences. It will also be relevant to other stakeholders seeking to build relationships with and support the work of the Centres, including: organisations providing, or with the potential to provide, services to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and families in the Centre areas; government departments; researchers; and policy makers.

The information in this resource was compiled through telephone interviews conducted with management representatives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children and Family Centres, and a review of the fact sheets and implementation plans on the Centres developed by each state and territory. Where staff have not yet been engaged at the Centre or the government is retaining management of the Centre, telephone interviews were conducted with the responsible government representatives. The information contained in this overview reflects the information provided to SNAICC in the interviews.

SNAICC considers quality, holistic Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander developed, designed and delivered integrated early childhood and family support services fundamental to support the needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and families. SNAICC is committed to supporting the sustainable establishment and operation of the Centres, equipped to be accessible to and meet the needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and families in the relevant communities.